Join the Zoom Conversation this morning: Sunday, March 15th at 10:30 am as we worship, pray, and process the week and where we go from here. Link to the Zoom call, as well as phone numbers to call in if you prefer, can be found here. Or just watch the livestream on Facebook Live.
Haven friends, the time has come to clearly say it. We need to take a break from meeting in person. Beginning this week, we’re going to suspend in-person Haven Sunday gatherings, in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19 which is continuing across the globe and is certainly quite active in the Bay Area.
This isn’t something our leadership does lightly. As you saw just a couple of days ago, throughout the week we had been making plans to try to gather as safely as possible. But a lot has changed in even 24 hours (let alone in the last week), and all of us need to be ready to change and adapt to the hour-by-hour developments. To me, this week has felt like an escalating communal awareness of the growing gravity of our collective situation. It’s a lot to take in. It’s a lot to process. As a pastor, the thing I long to do when I feel unstable and uncertain and like the world might blow apart is to gather with other people of faith - with you, my Haven family whom I love - and worship. But that’s also the thing that we are learning is the most risky to do right now, even with all of the careful preparations we could make.
Our new Haven Zoom reality.
So it’s time for a new plan. Berkeley Unified Schools are closing into early April at least, and they have also cancelled all rental agreements indefinitely. I don’t know when it will be safe for us to gather again at Washington Elementary, but to be real: it could be awhile. Last night a number of Haven leaders took time to talk (virtually) and discern a strategy for going forward. Though this is all new territory, I feel hopeful that we can navigate the change. In uncertain times like this, we know we need spiritual community more than ever, so let’s find a way to adapt.
Thankfully, as much as technology can be problematic, at this moment it is also really helpful, and many of us will likely be leaning on tech and adapting to new ways of virtually connecting in all kinds of spheres. Here at Haven, we’re envisioning beginning a virtual Sunday service that takes place twice a month (for as long as these measures are necessary) and includes a version of the major elements of our in-person service: some musical worship, a sermon, and a time for conversation. Using Zoom meeting technology, there is even space for breakout conversation groups, not too different than the conversation clusters we have on Sundays.
All of this is doable, but to be real, it’s also a lot of logistics to figure out on our end. And so we’re choosing to take a breath and give ourselves permission to take the time we need and make the adjustments we need to. We will not have a full virtual service up and running this Sunday. However, I would like to make time to have an informal virtual community conversation for all who are able to join us this Sunday, 3/15, at the regular Haven time (10:30 am). We will do this through a Zoom meeting (log-in or call in information is here). During the meeting, we’ll have a chance to talk together about what the vision for this season might look like. We’ll also have a chance for folks to process how heavy the week has been, what we’re concerned about, and what we need right now. No doubt we’ll spend a bit of time worshiping and praying for one another and the world around us, too. I encourage you all to join us from wherever you are at this Sunday morning for this important conversation.
The following Sunday, 3/22, we will hold our first virtual Haven Sunday Service. More details on that will be coming soon, but you can be planning for it now. And because March is a 5-Sunday month, we’ll still have a week off between that and our next service on April 5.
Assuming that this new reality of virtual gathering will be with us for the foreseeable future, there is some interest amongst Haven leadership in eventually organizing sites across the Bay Area where small groups (ideally 10 healthy people or less) could gather in homes to watch the live stream of the service together. People could then discuss amongst themselves at the discussion portion of the morning, and enjoy some in-person connection in ways that are less risky to public health. We are open to potentially starting something like this as early as April, but want to hold off on planning these kind of gatherings until we have a better sense of what kind of actions are needed now.
It is also possible that small groups or our new community meal groups could still function in some way (perhaps a hike or picnic in the park). But it might be wise to err on the side of caution and pause for a couple of weeks, at least, or become a fully virtual group, while we all figure this out. I leave it up to your groups to consider what makes sense to you.
What we DO know is important in this time is finding all kinds of ways to take care of one another, even with little physical contact. Jeanne and Phoebe have taken the lead on organizing a Haven Rapid Response Team. During this time of uncertainty, we remember that some members of our community are more physically vulnerable than others and have to take more precautions in public spaces or may need to stay away altogether. This is a time we can show up for each other in meaningful ways. If you might be open to helping do a grocery run, pick up a prescription, call or e-mail to check up on others, or be available for other practical needs, please sign up on this form. And if you have a need for any of those things or anything else a team could support, let us know here.
Finally, as we look for new ways to stay connected to each other, we are going to try using a communication platform called Slack. Jeanne is setting it up and you will get an invite soon (reach out to her if you don’t). You can learn more about Slack and how Jeanne hopes it will help us connect here.
I know this is a lot. The paradigm shifts we are all being asked to navigate are so huge. But I am inviting all of us to take a deep breath, to acknowledge all of our real fear and uncertainty, and also to look to Jesus for grounding and hope. Jesus is the one who encountered contagious illness in his day with care, compassion, and courage. He showed this each time he reached out and touched a person with leprosy, breaking not only the power of their physical ailment, but just as importantly, the social isolation they endured because of it. I believe he is still with us, inviting each of us to bring connection, inclusion, and care to one another. May we find hope and connection with the Divine as we tend to ourselves, our families, and each other in new ways, and may we hold onto the truth that none of us are meant to be alone.
With deep care, Leah
